Unmanned Systems Technology 024 | Wingcopter 178 l 5G focus l UUVs insight l CES report l Stromkind KAT l Intelligent Energy fuel cell l Earthsense TerraSentia l Connectors focus l Advanced Engineering report

The system also polices the vehicle’s behaviour, and can trigger automatic failover to multi-rotor mode in response to flight envelope violations, but allows for operator override and retry commands. Similarly, the aircraft can be kept out of prohibited areas by respecting geo-fence boundaries, responding with return-to- land protocols. Ground control station Wingcopter’s field-proven and compact ground station consists of a tripod with an antenna stick and a tablet mount, as well as a remote control for manual operation. Computer-based solutions can be used for more stationary use or more complex flight planning. The AirRails ground control allows flight plan creation in 2D and 3D, for altitude adjustments and mission tracking. It is designed to be used intuitively with an automatic adaptation of flight plans to terrain, and generation of survey plans for different survey types and payload sensors. While autonomous missions are pre- programmed, there is a manual control option. “The design of the Wingcopter is focused on making it very easy to control in all flight conditions, Hesselbarth says. “For example, the wing design prevents critical stall situations.” Comms link Wingcopter offers a range of radio and data link solutions that vary according to the country in which the customer wants to operate, and can integrate packages that use the 868 and 900 MHz frequency bands. For flexible long-range BVLOS applications in developed countries, the solutions are based on GSM and LTE comms. Dipole antennas are integrated into the wings of the 178 HL and the standard telemetry mast on ground. The telemetry link provides a range of 10 km with a regular booster, up to 60 km with a tracking antenna and unlimited reach with 3G and 4G/LTE systems.